Brooklyn, NY. March 24, 2010 - Everybody is talking about direct-to-fan, and how it is changing the way musicians can sustain themselves. Never before have musicians had so much direct communication with their tribes’.

Sometimes I look at this progression and think, “What could possibly be next?” Boundaries are often pushed so far so fast that it is difficult for us to even forecast a possible next step, let along carry one out.

If you too are stumped by this question, look no further than UK duo, Rob and Kal.

They are allowing the entire world to be involved in their creative process. I think that bares repeating: they are allowing the entire world to be involved in their creative process.

Dubbed “Mubla 2.0” (album spelled backwards), their interactive project is allowing any and all music lovers to see, hear, and most importantly, take part in the recording of an album from start to finish.

Never before have I seen a band put so much trust in their fans.

I could continue to talk about it, but I’d rather you head over to http://www.robandkal.com and experience the ingenuity. My blabbering will not do this justice.

I truly respect these guys, and hope you too will see the brilliance in what they are attempting to do.

Reader Comments (3)

This is the ultimate crowd-averaging process, the best way to be sure to never discover music genius again. Are these guys so insecure about their musicianship that they need to ask people for advice ? Imagine if Vincent Van Gogh had asked his models about the best way to paint ?

I reckon it's more of a marketing approach actually. They get some buzz plus they build up an audience early. That may be brilliant but in my opinion, artistically this is a dead-end

I think the musician of the future will be more of a DJ, selecting from crowd-sourced mashups created by 10 billion people who are empowered with 5th generation Rock Band/Auto-Tune technology that allows anyone to attain sonically flawless pop mediocrity without even trying, as music enters a future where recombination replaces innovation and creation -- we've already got enough songs, right? Let's focus on digital finger-painting for a few decades instead.

I think involving fans in the actual creation of the music is a great idea. Not for everyone, but a great idea nonetheless.

That may be brilliant but in my opinion, artistically this is a dead-end

For you, maybe. Technology has lowered the costs and risks of doing something like this. If this flops, it won't kill them. That wasn't the case ten years ago, when recording and distribution was expensive. I also suspect they're not doing this for the critical accolades.

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